Here are some photos of the wonderful spin gathering that I attended on Saturday. As you can see, the weather was ideal. A spring breeze kept us from being too warm in the bright sunshine.
We took turns holding this little black lamb, who cuddled like a kitten and seemed to enjoy the attention. Mama, however, was beside herself, bleating pitifully and wandering around the field in search of her baby. When the lamb was released inside the fence, the mother tore across the field, making little joyous cries that were easily translated, "You're back, you're back! Thank goodness, you're back!"
Our hostess also brought out one of her alpaca's for us to see firsthand. He was not as happy as the lamb, but allowed us, begrudingly, to pet him. At the end of the day, we enjoyed a sheep herding demonstration, starring Tess, a beautiful Border Collie who, despite serious vision problems, did a remarkable job of moving the small herd across the field. Since the seven lambs in the group were less than a month old, their mothers were still acting very protective of their babies and this further complicated Tess' work. At one point, one of the moms stopped suddenly and kicked backwards at the dog. Fortunately, Tess was able to dodge the blows and she was not deterred. Charging forward, she moved to the ewe's flank and gave her a little nudge, as if to say, "I'm in charge of this operation, Lady. Get moving."
